Christmas tree stand



mm m, w A. FRITZ CHRISTMAS TREE STAND 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan 22,1936 UM 2'7, WM A. FRBTZ CHRISTMAS TREE STAND msww Filed Jan. 22, 1936 3Sheets-Sheet 2 UUL .WYI A FRlTZ CHRISTMAS TREE STAND 5 Sheets-Sheet 3Filed Jan. 22, 1956 INVENTOR 170mm Fk/ rz.

ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 27, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My invention relates to a new and useful Christmas tree stand and itrelates more particu- .larly to a Christmas tree stand which serves torotate a Christmas tree carried thereby, to illuminate said tree bymeans of a variety of simultaneous, or successive, colors,-to displaytogether with the tree, pictorial or inscriptional representations, orboth, of biblical scenes and quotations appropriate to the occasion, andto produce musical accompaniment to the general effect as and whendesired.

Christmas trees have, throughout the centuries, been mounted on a standof some sort which consisted of a tripod, a bucket, or the like, onwhich the tree was retained often in a precarious position, said supportbeing disguised as well as possible by artificial grass mats, or naturalmoss. or the like, and it is with a view to increasing theattractiveness, effectiveness and utility of the display that I havedevised the novel construction and assembly hereinafter more fullydescribed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a Christmas tree stand embodying myinvention, a portion of the upper casing being removed to show theinternal construction.

Fig. 2 represents a view on line 22 of Fig. 1, certain parts being shownin section and certain parts being shown in elevation.

Fig. 3 represents a view similar to Fig. 2 but taken on line 33 of Fig.1.

Fig. 4 represents a plan view of the operating mechanism shown detachedand in position to actuate the musical device.

Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 4, shown in a position toactuate the entire stand, but not actuating the musical device.

Fig. 6 represents, on an enlarged scale, a section on line 6-6 of Fig.2, showing details of construction.

Fig. 7 represents a section on line 1-1 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8represents, on an enlarged scale, a section on line 88 of Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters designatelike parts, and more particularly to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be seen thatmy novel stand is composed generally of an upper rotary part generallydesignated by the numeral l2, and the lower stationary part generallydesignated as l3. The lower stationary part l3 comprises a-base l4 and avertical wall |5 which is provided with the cut-outs or perforations l6which serve to lighten the construction, to improve the appearance, andto ventilate and allow for dispersion of heat. Mounted on the base I4 isa-bracket through which passes the stem l8, the bottom of which may ormay not have a hearing relation to the base l4, as at 20. The-stem l8carries the collar 2| which is secured thereto by the pin 22, the collar2| being bigger than the opening in the bracket I! through which thestem l8 passes to prevent the stem Hi from being disengaged upwardlyfrom the bracket IT. The stem l8 also carries, fixed thereto at a pointabove the 10 bracket H, the ring gear 24, and above the ring gear 24 thestem I8 carries the sleeve 25 which is adapted to support the Christmastree 26 and to rotate with the stem l8 and the ring gear 24. The sleeve25 is provided with a perforated false 15 bottom 21 which is preferablyof a generally conical form to facilitate seating and centering of thetree 26. Between the false bottom 21 and the real bottom 28 of thesleeve 25 a water chamber is provided from which water passes throughthe perforations in the false bottom 21 to surround the bottom of thetree 26 and keep the latter fresh for the few days of its use. One ormore clamps 30 are provided in the upper portion of the sleeve 25 forclamping the tree 26 in proper centered position. In order to rotate thesleeve 25, and hence the tree 26, I provide the motor 32 which drivesthe worm 33 which in turn drives the gear 34 which rotates the shaft 35which carries the worm 36 which engages the pinion 31 on the shaft 38which carries the worm 39 which meshes with the gear 24 on the stem l8,thus rotating the sleeve 25 and the tree carried thereby.

In order to produce musical accompaniment, the shaft 36 is provided withthe fixed clutch member 4| which is adapted to engage the complementarysliding clutch member 42. Secured to the sliding clutch member 42 is thecog 44 which is in mesh with the gear 45 on the shaft 40 46 whichcarries the roll 41 which has the pins 48 which are adapted to engage,selectively, the reeds 49 to play any given piece, for which it isconstructed in the usual well known manner. In

order to have the music play only when it is de- 5 be produced. When itis desired to produce music, the string or other means 53 is pulled tothe left of Figs. 2 and to reengage the clutch members 4| and 42. Inorder to retain the music produc-- ing mechanism in its operative orinoperative position, I provide the arm 52 with the head 51 which isprovided with the notches 58 and 59 which are adapted to engage the ball60 which is set in the bracket 6|. The ball 60 is preferably tensionedwith a spring 62, and when the ball 68 engages the notch 59, theclutches 4| and 42 are maintained in disconnected position, and when theball 60 engages the notch 58, the clutches 4| and 42 are connectedthroughout the revolution of the gear 45 and until the knob 58 rides onthe knob 5|. It is of course understood that the arm 52 is pivotallymounted, as at 63, to permit the necessary movement. Suitably secured tothe base I4 is the spider 61 which carries reflectors 68 and lights 69.The upper end of the spider 61 forms a seat which is provided with theball-bearings H which coact with the bearings 12 secured to the sleeve25 by the bolt ,13 to provide an anti-friction support for the sleeve 25and the tree 26 carried thereby, and thus facilitates rotation.

The upper rotary part I2 of my device consists generally of a hood-likeconstruction carried by the hub 16 which rests upon the flange 18 of therotating bearing 12 so that, unless restrained, the upper part l2 of thedevice will rotate with the bearing 12 and sleeve 25. The upper part I2is preferably composed of a series of frames in which are mounted aseries of differently colored, transparent, or translucent plates 88,through which the light from the lamps 69 is reflected by the reflectors68 upwardly against the tree 26, and, as the upper part I2 rotates,successively changing and difierent lighting effects are produced by theinterposition of differently colored plates between the lights and thetree. The upper rotary part I2 is provided with a substantially verticalskirt, which either carries, or is composed of, either fixed orinterchangeable, pictorial representations 84, which may be transparent,opaque, or translucent, and which depict biblical or other appropriatetraditional designs, such as the Star of Bethlehem, a Christmas wreath,the Wise Men on the Camels, etc. .The pictorial representations 84 arenaturally subject to the illumination from the reflectors 68, as will bebest understood from Figs. 2 and 3. In order to provide intermittentrotation of the upper part I2, I provide the bearing 12 with the earns86 and depressions 81, and I mount a pin 88 in an opening in the flange89 of the top 10 of the spider 61, the pin 88 being provided with aspring brake 98 which is adapted to bear against the inner surface ofthe pendant flange 92 of the hhb 16. The pin 88 is carried by the arm 94pivoted at 95 and normally tensioned inwardly by the spring 96, so that,when the inner end of the pin 88 rides on a low point 81, the spring 96draws the brake 90 away from the flange 92 of the hub 16 and permitsrotation of the upper part l2, and, when the inner end of the pin 88rides on one of the cams 86, the brake 98 presses against the inner faceof the pendant flange 92 and acts v as a brake to stop the upper part I2against rotation with the sleeve 25.

98 designates a cable'which supplies current to the motor 32, the lamps69, and, by means of the sliding contacts 98, to the wire 99, which,through the socket connection I88, supplies current to the wires Hll forilluminating the conventional lights on the tree 26.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. A Christmas tree stand comprising a flxed lower portion formed of abase and a fenestrated vertical wall, a bracket mounted on said base, acup-shaped member rotatably supported by said bracket and adapted toreceive the stem of a Christmas tree, an upper rotatable portioncomprising a translucent hood having a pendant flange composed ofinterchangeable, translucent shields and registering with saidfenestrated vertical wall, a plurality of arms resting on said base andconverging towards a central collar forming a bearing for saidcup-shaped member and for said hood, a plurality of lights andreflectors therefor carried by said arms, a driving mechanism forcontinuously rotating said cup-shaped member and the tree carriedthereby, a normally disengaged clutch mechanism intermediate saidcupshaped member and said hood whereby the former may rotateindependently of the latter, and a cam on said cup-shaped memberfor-intermittently engaging said clutch member to rotate said hood for apredetermined distance and intermittently with relation to thecontinuous rotation of said cup-shaped member.

2. A Christmas treestand comprising a fixed lower portion formed of abase and a fenestrated vertical wall, a bracket mounted on said base, acup-shaped member rotatably supported by said bracket and adapted toreceive the stem of a Christmas tree, an upper rotary portion comprisinga translucent hood having a pendant flange composed of interchangeable,translucent shields and registering with said fenestrated vertical wall,a plurality of arms resting on said base and converging towards acentral collar forming a hearing for said cup-shaped member and for saidhood, a plurality of lights and reflectors therefor carried by saidarms, a driving mechanism for continuously rotating said cup-shapedmember and the tree carried thereby, a normall disengaged clutchmechanism intermediate said cupshaped member and said hood whereby theformer may rotate independently of the latter, a. music reproducingmechanism adapted to be actuated by said rotating mechanism, a camdevice for disengaging said rotating mechanism from said musicreproducing mechanism at the end of each complete revolution of thelatter, and means for retaining said music reproducing mechanism out ofengagement with said rotatin mechanism.

ADAM FRITZ.

